Gig review: Atreyu at Rock City

First up was energetic American alternative rapper Zero 9:36, alongside his two piece band, consisting of a guitarist and a drummer. The instrumentals were fantastic, a strong mix of modern metal and slightly older rap-like beats, arguably the perfect fusion of his two biggest influences.

Lyrically, his songs are full of character and story, with most on the subject of mental health, probably his own. Now, this was a very heavy line-up generally speaking, and Zero 9:36 definitely delivered on the heavy part. The screams and breakdowns, two hugely important parts of any piece of heavy music, were brilliant and shows his dedication to honouring the art he makes, while building on it.

The highlight of his set was his infectious and very high-energy stage presence, with him jumping and moving throughout every song, putting on a real show. Overall, this was a very enjoyable set, and I’m excited to hear more from him in future.

What’s better than seeing one primarily early-2000s heavy band in one night? Seeing two! The incredible Eighteen Visions were up next. One thing I really love about 18V is the intros to their songs, as they mix shoegaze-like guitar parts with powerful droning synths, and then these intros quickly dissolve into a resounding, heavy and powerful sound.

Vocalist James Hart sounds incredible live, his screams and his high-end vocal parts are just sublime, and he blends them so well into the songs. However, his very good vocal abilities are enhanced tenfold by the rest of the band, of whom provide a solid, loud and thumping backdrop onto which he can perform his best too. On top of all this, the band's stage presence is excellent in all ways, every member (save for the drummer for obvious reasons) is moving, and the crowd are absolutely loving it. I would like to add that for the entire show I had my own little perch on the metal platform next to the balcony so I was very much enjoying a completely full view of everything happening, especially the antics to come during Atreyu’s set. Eighteen Visions’s set was absolutely fantastic and the perfect set up for Atreyu.

Now, the main event. I didn’t really know what to expect in terms of a live show from Atreyu, as a long-time fan of their music, especially the more recent offerings, so I went into it with an open mind. I was rather intrigued to see that, when all the crew had finished, that there was only the drum kit towards the front of the stage and the rest was completely free space, save for a small raised platform, which was front and centre, and of course some mics.

The band the came on, around five minutes after the stage was set, to a huge, wholly triumphant roar from the crowd. The first song they play is a personal favourite of mine, Bleeding Mascara. It's the perfect song to get the crowd ready. The loud, fast screaming first verse, sung by bassist and secondary vocalist Marc McKnight, is fantastic, and honestly sounds even better than the studio versions. Then, the chorus hits. Brandon’s voice is simply fantastic here, and the entirety of this section of the song goes down an absolute treat. Its signature mix of half-time drums with soaring guitar, courtesy of the hugely talented and massively understated Dan Jacobs, and obviously those incredible vocals. This was simply the perfect start to the set. It's impossible not to move.

I honestly don’t think I’ve seen a heavy band put on as much of a show as Atreyu, in the best way possible; they’re all moving around onstage, except Kyle on drums who stays in place yet absolutely destroys the kit with every song, its a joy to see. They might be a heavy band but the know how to have fun, and this made the set extremely enjoyable. 

After a few songs, Brandon talks about how excited he is to play Rock City, as last time they were here he couldn’t really talk. He makes the most of it, and the band’s dialogues in-between songs are brilliant, the highlight being an exchange between Brandon and Dan about the subject of immature jokes on stage.

Now, I would like to take a moment to highlight the incredible live playing of guitarist Dan Jacobs. His guitar playing skills and the two guitars he played on stage were simply phenomenal. His playing style is very influenced by classic metal, with his lead parts reaching soaring heights and every note being perfectly placed. He’s an incredible talent and a brilliant and entertaining performer too, perfectly balanced for the role.

Atreyu’s showmanship is a highlight again at two more particular points: at one point, Brandon and Kyle swap and he plays the drums and sings, as for years he was just the band’s drummer. It's a joy to see, a fun callback to the past but also a brilliant show-off moment of his stage versatility.

The other huge highlight is Brandon singing while walking through the whole crowd, to every area of Rock City, including the balcony. It was an insane and very fun moment.

Overall, this was a truly exceptional set from heavy music’s finest. I cannot recommend seeing them live enough.

Atreyu performed at Rock City on 4th October 2025.

@atreyuofficial